Now Kiss
by Krazy Ky-Sta Hatter
Summary: A year after leaving school, Marinette is living her dream. Never could she have imagined working alongside Adrien and his father, let alone living with them. But with closeness comes clashing, which results in explosive tension and confused emotions. And now with her in front of the camera with Adrien... Oh god. She was doomed.
1. Photo Shoot

**Okay, I swear to god that I was not meaning to write this one!**

 **I saw an AU idea by miraculcusladybug on tumblr, and I couldn't resist writing it!**

 **It's probably going to turn into a few chapters...**

 **Anyway, I hope you enjoy!**

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It had been one of the most wonderful moments of her life, the day she received the letter. It wasn't just any letter. It was printed on fancy pearlised paper and looked more like a fancy invite to a special event than an acceptance letter.

She still vividly remembered how Adrien had handed it to her with a knowing grin. How her hands shook as her mind registered what it said on the paper. How Alya's loud shriek in her ear had sounded far off and distant. The faint feeling that came over her, and the strong hands that steadied her and held her up.

 _Apprentice..._

The words had echoed in her mind.

 _It is with much congratulations that I tell you that you have been accepted as my apprentice. Having previously won many of my competitions, and receiving high recommendations from my son, Adrien Agreste..._

She had found it hard to breathe.

 _Sincerely, Gabriel Agreste..._

Adrien had chuckled as she swooned, making her turn deep hues of red. Thanks to Alya, the news had gotten out incredibly fast. By the end of the day, the entire school knew that next year she would be studying under Gabriel Agreste as his apprentice. They all knew that she had also been accepted into at least three different prestigious art and fashion schools. But this option bet them all. She'd been congratulated so many times that day, and it still felt as if she were lost in a dream. Of course, by the time she got home that night, her parents knew and had thrown her a surprise congratulations party.

That had all been a year ago.

For an entire year now, she had been Gabriel Agreste's apprentice. By now she had her own line of clothing that had become incredibly popular. Gabriel ensured that her designs were modelled at his shows. It had surprised her when after a few months, he warmed up to her more than she thought he would, and had been doing her more and more favours, and showering her with gifts, passing them off as perks of the job. Adrien said it meant he really liked her.

She had also been working part time as Adrien's personal assistant. It gave her a little – okay, a lot more – extra money. And it helped her see the other side of the fashion industry that she wasn't actively involved in.

It was brilliant!

In the last year, she had grown much closer to Adrien. She had discovered a whole new side of him that was a lot more relaxed and cheeky. It actually reminded her a little of Chat Noir. She had stopped being so tongue-tied around him long ago. They spent far too much time around each other for that. In fact, she spent so much time with him, that Gabriel had offered her one of the rooms in their house. It was right next to Adrien's, and she tended to stay there over the week, going back home on the weekends. They would eat dinner together most nights, and sometimes his father even joined them.

And, to be honest, being together still lessened the blow of Nino and Alya being away in a different school most of the time.

If anything, over the last year, she had fallen even more in love with him. But of course, nothing had happened between them yet, no matter how close they had become. She did know, however – since now she was in charge of his schedule, instead of stalking him for it – that he hadn't dated anyone the entire year either...

Today they were on yet another photo shoot. Adrien was modelling one of her pieces, no less. But things were... not going so well. They had had another, er... disagreement earlier that morning. She wasn't afraid to call him out when he was being stupid, and though he usually appreciated it after, he was still throwing a tantrum. They had calmed down a little since then, but there was still a tension in the air. A fire that burned between them whenever they looked at each other. And then on top of that...

"What do you mean you can't make it?!" Jacques shouted into the phone. The photographer paused, a look of shock and rage on his face. "No, no, no, no, no! You do not get to use that excuse! How will we do this photo shoot?!" He paused again. "Alright, fine! Don't come! Jacques Bouchard does not need someone like you! I can find another!" Dramatically, he hung up the phone and stuffed it in his pocked.

Marinette giggled and slid up to the eccentric photographer. "Is everything alright, Jacques?" she asked.

"No! No, ma cherie! The photo shoot is ruined! Ruined, I tell you! Bella D'Amaritz has cancelled! She says that she is 'sick'! Bull! It is bull, I tell you! She was fine yesterday! These models nowadays!" He pretended to stick a finger in his mouth to hint forced vomiting. "They're terrible!"

Trying to hide her smile, Marinette placed a hand on his arm. "It is terrible, but come now, Jacques. You are a very resourceful man. You'll find someone to replace her in a heartbeat. You're amazing at this."

He smiled at her reassurance, then as he looked at her, his eyes lit up. "Aha! I have it! Marinette, you are a genius!" She smiled again, rolling her eyes. "I have found the perfect girl for the job! Why, she stands right before me! You will be our _beauté pour Adrien_!"

Her face paled. "What, what?"

"Yes, yes! It is perfect!" He danced around her as she stared in shock. She wasn't sure if she was trying to blush, or if her face was losing all it's colour. "You are an incredible beauty! You deserve to be in such pictures as mine! And your dress, it is one of your own designs, no? Yes, you will be perfect together! Come!"

"N-no!" she squeaked. "I-I can't... I couldn't possibly..." She spun around in distress. "Adrien tell him!"

Adrien's head perked up. "What am I telling him?" he said in confusion, having not been listening to the conversation.

"Belle has dropped out for the shoot. She's sick. And now Jacques is picking... Ugh, it's just ridiculous!"

"Ah, our beautiful Marinette does not believe she is worthy of being a model for today," Jacques sighed with a roll of his eyes. "She would make a fetching partner, no? A stunning woman, fit for the part!"

A smirk came across Adrien's face and her eyes widened in terror. "You're right, Jacques. She'd be perfect!"

"Then it is settled!" he cried in delight. "Marinette! You, my wonderful beauty, will be Adrien's partner in this shoot."

"But..." she squeaked, her mouth hanging open. Jacques just strutted off over to his gear to get everything set up. She looked up at Adrien in shock. He just put his hands in his pockets, winked, and walked over to the set.

She fumed. That bastard! That spiteful little shit! She was going to kill him! And now she was going to have to jump in front of the camera!

"Oh god," she groaned.

"What's wrong, Mari?" Tikki asked from her pocket. "This is the chance you've been waiting for!"

"Yeah, but not like this! And not right now, he's being a twat!"

Tikki giggled. "Just go for it, you silly girl!"

"On set!" Jacques called.

Taking a deep breath, she went over to the set and stood up by Adrien. She wasn't used to being on this side of the camera, and her face instantly flushed. Adrien was smirking at her, looking thoroughly amused.

"I am so going to kill you when we get home," she hissed.

He chuckled. "I don't doubt it. But for now... it's time to try something new. Today you get to try what I do."

"I have no idea how to do this," she muttered, rubbing her arm. "This is a bad idea."

He stepped closer, grabbing her by the shoulders. "Hey, relax," he told her, dipping his head to look her in the eye. "It's pretty easy. Just listen to Jacques. He'll tell us what to do. He usually tries to paint a good picture for us. And you can use emotional recall as well. Just think of a memory that uses whatever emotion he wants and use that. Just relax. Breathe. You can do this."

Her mind was screaming at her with everything it had that she _couldn't_ do this. But her body reacted to his voice and relaxed. His bright green eyes staring intently into hers made her legs start to shake.

They were snapped out of the moment when the flash of a camera went off, and they looked up in surprise.

"Perfect!" Jacques told them, kissing his fingers. "Great start! You are a natural, Marinette! Now, you need to get a little closer."

"C-closer?" she stuttered.

"Come on, Mari, it's just a photo," Adrien said with a smirk, but there was something in his voice that almost sounded nervous. The look on his face didn't waver as he wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her against him. She let out a small squeak and a blush rose to her cheeks. One of her legs was left in the 'popped' position, and her hand was braced against his chest. The look he gave her made her want to melt.

"Yes! Yes, that's it! Look at your partner like they are everything to you, like they are the world!"

'Not hard,' she thought. She tried to seem less nervous and relaxed into the pose. As she let out a small sigh, her eyes softened and a genuine smile spread across her face. It might have been her imagination, but Adrien swallowed before his expression morphed into something that sent butterflies wild in her stomach. Her breath hitched and she bit her lip. Her hand grasped at his shirt, the other rested on his shoulder.

It just felt so... natural.

Jacques stopped his flow of encouragement to give them another direction. "Alright, now lean in as if you are going to kiss each other!"

The teens blinked, taken aback.

"Wait, what?" they said at the same time.

"Lean in to kiss!" the photographer said in exasperation. "It is on the list of must have shots for the final product."

Adrien let out an unsteady puff of air before pulling her close again. He leant down, encouraging her to go up on her toes to reach for him. Their lips were inches apart now... And Marinette was glaring at him again.

This was his fault. Of all the stupid things she could have been doing. This wasn't fair. She just wasn't cut out for this sort of thing, and he had dragged her in there just because he knew it would make her uncomfortable. And it was making her uncomfortable, alright. She was practically tangled up with the guy she loved for... for a photo! Nothing more.

Her body was getting worked up and frustrated by all the feelings and emotions. Her heart was hammering away in her chest and her hands trembled against him. She could feel his breath ghosting against her lips and her own breath seemed to get stuck in her throat. Her gut had wound itself into a tight coil, and if she didn't stop this soon, she was going to explode.

She wanted to scream at him. She wanted to hit him. She wanted to _kiss_ him. Oh, god. She wanted to kiss him so bad!

This torture was dragged out for what seemed like hours as Jacques complained that they weren't doing it right. She felt as if she were going to snap. There was something tangible in the air between them, and it would only take one spark to set it off. Her neck ached from looking upwards. Even Adrien's hand cupping her face wasn't enough to support her. Her whole body was trembling now. She felt like every nerve ending was on fire. She wanted it to end. She wanted it to continue forever. _She wanted that damn photographer to shut up!_

"No, no, no! I want to _feel_ it! I want to feel the tension! There needs to be more tension!"

"Oh, there's more than enough tension!" she hissed.

Adrien muttered something similar at the same time and they looked at each other in shock.

"Ugh, okay, let's stop," Jacques conceded. "I have enough of this shot that may do. Let's just move onto the next pose. Okay, now kiss."

"What?!" they cried, their eyes going wide.

"I said, _now kiss_ ," he repeated, cocking his head to indicate they should hurry up and do it.

Oh god.

Oh god, oh god, oh god, oh god!

Her heart stuttered and she felt herself starting to panic. No, no, no... She couldn't- Adrien- She had _not_ signed up for this!

Adrien looked almost as nervous as she was, but he shook it off quickly. "You okay?" he asked, drawing her near. The way she was acting made him look a little worried, but she reassured him with a quick nod. She could do this. It was just Adrien.

Adrien. The guy she had wanted to kiss for the last four years of her life!

She was practically trembling by the time they got back into position again. This time, now that they weren't holding the same pose for too long, it felt natural again. Her body pressed against his, moulding to it. For a moment he stared down at her with heavy lidded eyes and all her breath rushed out of her. He leant down, and she found herself gravitating towards him, pushing up on her toes to get closer. His hand pulled her against him lightly so there was no space between them, his other hand gently cupping her cheek. Again her hand grasped at his shirt, and her other arm wrapped around his neck, gripping at his collar. She needed to be closer.

Finally, she felt his breath lit across her face and her eyes drifted shut. She kept moving, kept searching for his lips. And finally she found them. Their lips pressed together in a tentative, chaste kiss. Her heart was drumming so loudly in her ears she was sure that everyone could hear it. But she didn't care. She was kissing him. She was kissing Adrien...

He moved slightly, his nose nuzzling against hers and a gasp escaped her lips. Something snapped in her, and she suddenly pushed herself forward slightly, spurring on the kiss. Adrien's eyes flew open in surprise, but then he pulled her in tighter, his lips starting to move against hers. She kissed back passionately, savouring the taste of his lips. Her mind went blank, and all she knew was touch and sound and taste. Every nerve ending was on fire, and so sensitive to everything. She could feel their hot breaths mingling together, his teeth scraping her bottom lip.

A soft moan escaped her, but she was too wrapped up in the moment to care. Nothing mattered outside of them. Nothing else existed. Just the two of them, and the feel of his lips on hers. The feel of his body pressed against hers, and his hands running through her hair, his nails dragging lightly across her scalp. This time it drew a whimper and she desperately tried to get closer, going as high up on her toes as she could while dragging him down to her. She felt his tongue slide gently against her lips and she gasped, opening her mouth to him. There was a deep rumbling sound coming from in his chest, almost like he was purring. She could feel it humming through his chest and smiled.

She didn't want to stop. Oh god, she never wanted to stop. But there was something telling her that they probably should. Adrien must have known it too. Slowly he started to pull back, softening the kiss, giving her lip a few nibbles before pulling away and resting his head against hers. His breath was coming hard and heavy, and she was no better off.

Slowly, she opened her eyes and looked at him. He was already staring down at her, a slight smile on his swollen lips.

" _Parfait_!" Jacques cried, startling them apart. "Simply marvellous! So much feeling! So much passion! Ha! These shot's are miraculous!"

Marinette blushed as she quickly let go of Adrien and looked away. She had been so absorbed by the kiss she hadn't even noticed Jacques taking photos the entire time.

"Yeah, it was pretty miraculous," Adrien sighed. She went even redder. "Mari-"

"Is the shoot done?" she squeaked. "I should g-go check your schedule!"

And with that, she bolted back down to where their bags were.

The ride back home was a silent one. Marinette hadn't said a word to him since she had rushed off. He sighed. He'd finally gotten a kiss from her – an absolutely amazing, mind blowing kiss – and she wouldn't even pay attention to him.

It was against his feline needs to be ignored, and he craved that attention. Maybe when they were back home he could talk to her. He could stop her from dashing to her room. Yeah, that was it. He could grab her by the hand, pin her against the wall and kiss her till they were breathless again, and-

Whoa... okay. Slow down there... He took a deep breath and grabbed out his phone to distract himself from the ungentlemanly thoughts there were intruding on his mind. He was surprised to see that he'd gotten a message half way through the shoot. He was even more surprised to see that it was from his father.

Cautiously, he opened it.

'How did you photo shoot with Marinette go?' was all it said.

'Um... good. Really good. She's a natural,' he replied.

'Good.' A smile flickered on his face at the subtle praise, but then his face dropped as realisation struck him.

'Hang on, how did you know that I did the shoot with Mari? Belle cancelled moments before we started, and Mari was too busy with the shoot to notify you...'

He waited for moments for a reply, but none came.

'Father?'

He waited again, looking up at Marinette to find her staring out the window with an unreadable expression. His heart thrummed and butterflies fluttered pleasantly through his body.  
He looked back at the phone. Still no reply. A sudden suspicion began to gnaw at him and his stomach dropped.

'...Dad?'

That bastard.


	2. Best Birthday

_**Hi!**_

 _ **Bloody hell. It's 4am and I really should be sleeping because I have to get up for work in 3 hours. I mean, I know I average 3 – 5, but come on. I'm still not used to routine again.**_

 _ **Anyway, I hope you like this chapter. A little bit of angst, a good deal of kissing, maybe a reveal or two, and a very happy Gabriel Agreste.**_

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 **Best Birthday**

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Marinette stared out wistfully towards the building before her. From this roof top, she had the perfect view of a large billboard that had a picture of Adrien and her plastered across it. The image was in dark tones of black and red, highlighted by sparks of bright light. Filling the blank space of the image, there was a perfume bottle surrounded by flames and sparks. Just above it was the scriptive font that advertised the item.

 _A Spark Ignites the Flame._

That was a line almost worthy of Chat Noir. It may not have been a pun, exactly, but it seemed like it, considering how they had managed to get all three product names into it.

Spark, Ignite, and Flame. Three unisex scents that were being advertised by romance. There were a total of nine posters, seeing as there was one poster for each perfume, but each perfume had three different photos. The one of Adrien and her was the most popular, splashed on every big billboard. But there were also posters of a male couple, and of a female couple. She was actually glad that Gabriel had made this decision, showing diversity in their couples. Though, she had to be on the biggest one, didn't she? Because unlike in the others, she and Adrien were _actually_ kissing.

It wasn't just a chaste kiss. They had picked one of the later shots. Anyone could tell by looking at it that it was a _hot_ kiss. Her eyes were closed, her fingers going white from gripping the fabric of his shirt so tight. His eyes were half lidded, green eyes staring down at her in a way that wanted to make her melt. One hand was threaded through her hair, while the other was grasping at her waist. It stole her breath away at the memory.

It was amazing how fast they had been put up. Knowing how the industry worked now, she knew that they would have had everything ready to go. They would have just been waiting on the images from the three photoshoots, and then the designers would have touched them up and placed the image in. (And by touch up, she meant the lighting, because she could tell that she nor Adrien had been airbrushed. Gabriel was quite against that). Then it would have been sent off to the printers, and by 10am the next day, the posters were all over Paris.

It was at exactly 10:03am that she had received a call from a squealing Alya demanding answers. And at 10:27am she received a text from her mother telling her how stunning she looked.

It was a good thing she had been working on her designs today, as she could barely look at Adrien all day. What with all the posters around, every time she looked at them or him, the moment came back in vivid clarity. She wanted to march up to him, drag him down to her and kiss him. She wanted him to make her feel like that again. The heat, the tug in her stomach, that craving for more. Even now, looking at the picture, she felt it.

Just thinking about it made her heart race and heat spread through her body. Her breathing was fast and shallow, and she tried to steady it.

"They make a cute couple, no?" She jumped at the sly voice that interrupted her from her lust driven stupor.

"Y-yeah," she stuttered, turning to face her partner in crime-fighting. "They really do. It's a shame they're not."

"You're telling me," Chat Noir sighed, staring up at the image almost in awe. "From what Adrien says, she wasn't too happy about it."

"Huh?" Her head snapped towards him in surprise. He'd talked to Adrien already?

She had been a little surprised at first to find out that Chat and Adrien were friends somehow. He'd said that he dropped in and talked to him some nights. And it certainly made sense, considering that sometimes she would hear Adrien talking to someone in his room, even though 'no one was there'. She had decided to use this as a good excuse to say that she was friends with Marinette. It was a good way to bring herself into the conversation without revealing who she was. And considering the fact that she'd 'introduced' Chat to Marionette back when they were fifteen, he didn't even question it.

"Marinette," he replied. "She didn't seem too pleased about the photo shoot. She was really upset about it. Then after she refused to talk to him unless it was work related. He hasn't seen her since. He's actually kind of upset about it."

"Please, what's he got to be upset about?" she scoffed. "It was his fault. He knew Marinette isn't comfortable with things like that, and he got her to do it, just to spite her. And then that photographer got them to kiss. And kissing Adrien, of all people! She was mortified."

"Hey, what's wrong with Adrien?!" he protested.

"Nothing! Just... she's been in love with him for years."

"Wait, she is?!" His head whipped around to her, his eyes wide. "A-are you sure? Adrien said she practically ran away from him afterwards."

"Well what did you expect. She kissed the guy she likes for a _photo shoot_. And it's not like Adrien feels the same way. So, yeah, she was embarrassed and upset. Wouldn't you be?"

He rubbed at the back of his neck in a familiar nervous gesture. "Yeah, I guess you're right." He sighed and looked back at the billboard, a curious look on his face. She cocked her head, trying to decipher it, but for once she couldn't make heads or tails of it. "It was his father, by the way."

"What?"

Chat chuckled. "Adrien thinks that his father is trying to set them up. Apparently Marinette never had time to tell Gabriel about the change of models before she had to go take the photos. And half way through the shoot he got a text asking how his photo shoot with Marinette went. When he asked his father how he knew that it was Marinette instead of the other girl and he didn't reply. So, he's kind of convinced that Gabriel is trying to set them up."

"Y-you're kidding!" she gasped. There's no way. There was absolutely no way that Gabriel Agreste, of all people, would set her up with his son.

"Nope!" he laughed. The chuckle faded out and he looked at the picture a little longer. She did the same, trying not to think about it too much. She couldn't stand to keep thinking about that kiss. Not when it didn't mean anything. "You're wrong you know." Chat's soft voice startled her.

"Wrong? What do you mean?" For a moment she thought he'd read her mind or something, but that was just stupid. She folded her arms, looking at her friend. He was still staring up at the billboard, his expression fond.

"You're wrong about Adrien not liking her. He thinks he may be in love with her. I actually think he has been for a while."

"Now I know you're kidding," she said, rolling her eyes.

"No, really. Hey... maybe we should join Gabriel and try and get them together." She snorted at the suggestion. "What?! It could work. I'm his friend, your her friend. I'm sure Alya and Nino would be in on it if we asked. I think they've actually tried before. And you said that she's been in love with him for years!" He had a huge grin on his face and she shook her head.

"Don't be silly, we can't do that, Chat."

"Yeah, but... we could give them hints or something, right?"

She shook her head, unsure of what to do. She still wasn't sure if she believed Chat. And at the same time, the idea did sound appealing. But it also seemed wrong. She couldn't try and hook herself up. That seemed like cheating. She should just pick up the courage and do something about it herself, but she hadn't done anything about it in years. If she was going to try and get herself together with Adrien, it would be the right way.

"I suppose that we could convince them to ask each other out. Just that, though. We shouldn't interfere too much. Marinette hates people doing things for her when she should be doing it herself."

Chat chuckled. "Yeah, I know."

"She's been trying to pick up the courage to ask him out since they were fifteen. It just never seemed to happen."

"Wait, she's really liked him that long?!"

"Yeah. I can't believe he never noticed. When they first started properly hanging out as friends she was pretty obvious."

Chat chuckled. "Yeah, he can be horribly oblivious sometimes. Bit of an idiot, really." She rolled her eyes at him with a fond smile. She wanted to defend Adrien, but he was kind of right. Just a little. "I'm going to tell him," he announced. "That he should ask her out. Give him a bit of advice and call it a birthday present. Who knows, maybe he'll actually go through with it by the end of the day."

She blinked. It was past midnight now... It was Adrien's twentieth birthday. Oh god, she'd been so tied up over worrying about everything that was going on that she had totally spaced. Well, not badly. She'd had his present made for the last week. But still...

"Oh god, I completely forgot about his birthday!"

Chat patted her on the shoulder. "It's okay, My Lady. I'm sure he won't miss one present. Unless you want to swing by the party. Your _presence_ is a _present_ enough."

"Chat, stop it," she giggled, nudging him in the arm for the horrible flirt-pun. He laughed back, looking down at her with such soft eyes that she had to bite her lip at look away.

Maybe if Adrien did ask her out, it would make things easier. Maybe if he did, she could finally move on from Chat properly...

.

They'd never gone out, but boy at one point had they been close. It had been two years ago that she came to the realisation that she was starting to fall for Chat. Only, she was still in love with Adrien too. She and Chat had even kissed a few times. But in the end, they decided it was too dangerous. As much as it hurt, they both agreed they couldn't be together. And they both liked someone else from their civilian lives. So they had agreed to settle down with the other person in their lives. They had cried, and they had kissed, and they had gone back to their usual routine of fighting Akuma together.

But it still hurt.

Even now, an entire year later, it still hurt. Maybe finally having Adrien - the other guy she loved - maybe then it would hurt a little less seeing Chat's face. Maybe her chest wouldn't swell with happiness when his flirting looks became serious, only to have ice spread through her and settle heavily in her stomach when she remembered that she couldn't love him. Not like that.

She looked away from him, her eyes flicking back to the billboard for a moment before they settled on the ground. "I should go."

"Lad-"

"Bye, Chat." She turned back and shot him one last smile. Then she was jumping off across the roofs.

Rather than go straight to her home at Adrien's, she headed towards her home at her parents. It was something she had started doing whenever she went her separate ways from Chat Noir, just to keep their identities secret. After she had first moved in to the Agreste mansion, she had noticed that she and Chat went the same way. They went the same way for quite a long time. In fact, they headed the same way for so long that she became uncomfortable and hung back. He had to live somewhere close by. So she took the long way home, running around a couple of blocks before doubling back.

This seemed to work, because since those last few times almost a year ago, she hadn't seen him since.

.

...That was until now. Right as she reached her window, opening it to go inside, a figure clad in black suddenly dropped to the window a room over. Her earnings let out a beep for her second to last warning, alerting him to her presence. His eyes widened as he noticed he wasn't alone, and he turned to her in surprise. His expression was almost comical and he almost lost his grip on the window.

"My Lady!" he gasped, his voice squeaking a little. She would have laughed if she wasn't so shocked. "Wh-what are you doing here?"

"Uh... Marinette!" she said quickly. "I'm here to visit Marinette."

"Yeah! Me too!" He tried to scramble into the widow, but he seemed a bit to panicked and distracted. "I – I mean, Adrien. I'm here to see Adrien. And, you know, tell him about earlier and-"

Suddenly, there was a beep and his eyes widened in horror before a green light surrounded him. It happened so suddenly that she didn't have time to close her eyes or look away. She could only stare as the transformation fell away, leaving behind a terrified looking Adrien Agreste.

He let out a yelp and his fingers tightened on the window. His shoes scrambled for purchase against the smooth surface. Just when he seemed okay, a small back thing dropped from the air beside him, and he snatched out a hand to catch it.

"Plagg! - Ah!" With only one hand holding on, he lost his grip and slipped.

Thankfully, despite the fact that she was stunned stupid, Marinette's body worked faster than her mind. Seeing him fall, she quickly threw out her yo-yo towards him. It wrapped around his waist, and he reflexively grabbed onto the string. Using the momentum of the fall, she swung him up, pulling him back towards the window as she dove in herself.

He came tumbling towards her and they rolled a couple of times before they finally landed with him on top of her. For a moment they were both too stunned, just staring at each other. Marinette's mind was still trying to process the fact that Adrien was, in fact, her crime-fighting companion. He opened his mouth to stutter something out when there was another loud beep, and her transformation ended. The magic fell away, leaving Marinette in Ladybug's place.

Whatever he had been about to say died in his throat, turning into a strangled gasp. For a good minute or two, neither said anything. They just stared at each other, letting everything they had just discovered sink in. Brilliant blue met bright green eyes as they sifted through their memories, merging every memory they had of each other as their superhero and civilian form. Realising that the conversation they were having not ten minutes ago about their 'friends' had in fact just been about themselves.

Slowly, a very Chat like smirk made it's way to Adrien's face. "Hello again, My Lady."

"Kitty," she said breathlessly.

He giggled. "I have to admit. I wasn't really expecting this."

"That's because you're an idiot," a voice grumbled off to the side. Adrien's face fell in annoyance.

"Plagg!" he and Tikki groaned. At the sound of the small voice, his head snapped to the side to see her small red Kwami. He blinked at her before a grin grew on his face. "Is that your Kwami? She's adorable!"

Tikki giggled, somehow managing to blush despite already being bright red. "Why, thank you, Adrien."

"Ugh! Who cares. Can we just go get cheese now? I'm hungry."

Tikki rolled her eyes. "You had a _huge_ plate before you transformed. I saw you! You don't need it."

"Hold on…" Marinette said, thinking about what Tikki had said and what it would mean. "You knew? You knew that…" She looked at Adrien and Plagg.

"Well duh," the black Kwami said. "And before you ask, we couldn't say. It's an old deal we made. You had to figure it out on your own."

"Okay, sure. But… Okay, seriously, I know that I intentionally took the long way home when I figured out we lived close to each other, but how could we live in the _same house_ for a _year_ and _not_ notice? How has this not happened before?"

"I think it was a conflict of luck," Tikki said.

"Luck?" Adrien said, looking about as confused as she was.

"Your bad luck, and Marinette's good luck. She didn't want anyone to know who she was, and her luck helped out with that. And you really wanted to know who Ladybug is, and with your luck… well, it didn't happen."

Plagg snorted. "If by his bad luck you mean that he was too busy thinking about Marinette that he missed a step and fell off a roof, then sure."

Tikki just ignored him and continued as if he hadn't talked at all. "And with Plagg and I being so close all the time, it kind of created a… fog, if you will. A fog of luck that kept the two of you from seeing what was right in front of you."

"Pfft! Adrien doesn't need bad luck to not see what's in front of him."

Adrien growled while Marinette giggled and Tikki rolled her eyes again. "I'll take him to get some cheese before he gets any grouchier." She grabbed Plagg by the arm and dragged him off. He seemed to have perked up a bit at the sound of his favourite food.

"Wait! Tikki!" Marinette cried in panic, realising she was about to be left alone with Adrien.

"Have fun, you two!" she called back before they phased through the door.

She looked back at Adrien, who was still hovering above her, staring at the door. He chuckled, turning his bright eyes back to her.

"She seems a lot nicer than Plagg," he joked.

"She's a sweetheart. Is he always that grouchy?"

"Only when he's hungry," he said with a shrug, which caused his entire body to shift against hers as his arms were the only thing holding him off her.

Her lower half was completely pinned, their legs entwined. The action seemed to draw him back to the fact that he was still on top of her. They hadn't really moved from where they had fallen. A light blush to match her own spread across his cheeks. Her blush only deepened when he stared at her.

"So... ah..." He bit his lip, his eyes flicking away. "Marinette, I..." He suddenly seemed so bashful, and the way he was stuttering was just so... so _frustrating._ Why was he talking? Why wasn't he kissing her? "We, um..."

"Oh, for flips sake!" she cried.

Adrien was startled by her outburst. But he was surprised even more when she reached up, grabbing his face in her hands and pulled him down into a kiss. Something like a squeak came from him, and the sudden movement almost made his arms give way, but he managed to catch himself. It took a moment more for him to start reacting to the kiss, but when he did she could feel a smile on his lips as they moved against her own. Smirking, he pulled back far too soon for her liking.

"So, is this you saying yes to me asking you out?"

"You haven't asked me out yet," she pointed out.

"On the contrary, I believe I've asked you out countless times over the last few years. And you knew I was going to ask you out anyway. Besides, I believe it was you who told me that _you've attempted_ to ask me out since we were fifteen. And-"

"Oh my god!" she said in embarrassment. "Yes! Yes, already! I will _so_ go out with you! Now shut up and kiss me!"

Smirking, he lowered himself and pressed his lips to hers. He supported himself above her, one arm slipping behind, under the arch of her back and dragging her closer. His body pressed into her, pinning her to the floor at the same time. She could feel the angles and planes of his body. Could feel the erratic beating of his chest when her hand came up to grab at his shirt. Her other hand curled up around his neck, her hands running through his silky blond hair.

She melted into the kiss, her breath hitching as he kissed her deeper. She whimpered, trying to get closer to him, dragging down on his shirt. He just chuckled into her mouth, sucking her lip gently before he started to trail kisses down her jaw and to her throat. A gasp escaped her lips when he started to suck and nibble at her sensitive skin. She was hyper-aware of everywhere he was touching her.

All thoughts had left her head and the only thing she could focus on was the _feel_. The feel of his skin against hers. The hand that had dipped below her shirt and the nails that scraped lightly at her lower back. The feel of his legs as she hooked her own around his as he straddled her. The pressure of his weight. His soft lips as they brushed across her skin, the small nips from his teeth, the smooth swipe of his tongue. Her entire body felt as if it were charged with energy as she quivered beneath him.

It was all so good that her breath was coming out in harsh pants. "A-Adrien!" she whimpered.

At the sound of his voice, he looked up at her through his lashes. Bright green eyes seared into her, making heat pool in her stomach. With an incredibly satisfied smirk, he leaned back up and stole her lips again. She mewled into his mouth and his tongue darted out to lick at her lower lip. This made her gasp again and he used the opportunity to slip his tongue into her mouth, stroking her own. He growled out a deep moan when she began rolling her hips up into him, barely aware of what she was doing. She was so lost in sensation, her body acting on instinct. She couldn't even think. All she knew was that she wanted more.

.

Suddenly there was a knock at the door. They barely had time to break apart and look before the door opened and Gabriel Agreste poked his head in. If he was surprised to see his son making out with his live-in intern on her bedroom floor, he didn't show it. In fact, he barely reacted to the scene at all. The two were so shocked that if they had any breath left, they would be holding it. But as it was, they were still trying to gasp oxygen in. They were frozen as they were, with Adrien still hovering over her, and her legs now hitched up around his waist, too shocked to even move.

"Ah, there you two are," Gabriel said, as if he had found them simply having a cup of tea. "Marinette, I just wanted to inform you that I think your first modelling job went incredibly well. I strongly recommend that you look into continuing it on the side. You would make a stunning face for the Agreste line. As such, I have decided that you and Adrien shall model your new line in the pre-show photos. Especially given you two have the perfect appearance. That is all." He went to turn away, but then seemed to think of something and turned back. "Oh, and Adrien, Happy Birthday." Finally, with a nod, he left.

The two of them just stared at the door a moment in shock before they turned back to each other.

"He- he didn't even react!" Marinette said, slightly gob-smacked. "I'm making out with you, his only child, on floor, and he didn't even seem phased!"

Adrien shook his head, slightly exasperated. "Oh no, he was reacting alright. He was _smug_." He got to his feet and held out a hand to help her up. "I told you he was trying to set us up."

"That is... really weird. He's my boss. And you're his son! And I can't believe he wants me to continue modelling. I know that tone of voice, that was his 'I'm giving you a suggestion, but it's actually an order' voice." Suddenly her face paled. "Oh. Oh no."

"What is it?"

"My new line. The project I've been working on... It's Ladybug and Chat Noir based. There's casual and formal, and- Oh god, I made masks for all the models. I hope they don't make us wear the masks. What if people figure out it's actually us!"

"Mari! Mari, calm down," he said, placing his hands on his shoulders. "We'll suss something out. But for now, lets leave the talking till another day, okay? I mean, we still have _a lot_ to talk about. But it can wait. Right now, it's my birthday, and I want to enjoy it. And since you forgot, all I request is to spend the night with my new girlfriend making up for the last five years of not making out when we totally could have been. Your room, my room. I don't care. I just want to spend the night with you."

Towards the end of this he went from cheeky to sweetly sincere as he pulled her close to him and rested his head on top of hers, placing a kiss in her hair.

"You idiot," she said fondly. "I've had your present ready for a week. I just spaced out on it because of yesterday. But I think I can handle that request."

She grinned up at him cheekily, but the smile didn't last long as Adrien's lips descended upon her own again. He reached up, grabbing her hands and slowly leading her forwards without breaking the kiss. She didn't know where she was leading her. She didn't care. All she cared about was that she was kissing Adrien, her Chat Noir. And it was fucking amazing.

The next morning, Nino was woken early by a text. Groggily, he put on his glasses and opened the message. What he saw made him blink a few times. Adrien had sent him a picture. He and Marinette appeared to be snuggled up in his bed. She was still asleep, nuzzled in close to his neck with a soft smile on her face. Adrien's arm was wrapped around her, and he was looking at the camera in utter glee. It had the caption 'Best birthday present EVER'.

Nino couldn't help but let out a chuckle. He rolled over and nudged Alya awake.

"Babe. Hey, babe, look at this." He held the phone out to her and she squinted at it, too tired to bother with her glasses. Thankfully, she wasn't overly short sighted, and was able to tell what it was very quickly. A soft smile spread across her face.

"About damn time," she mumbled, closing her eyes again.

"Yeah, tell me about it," he said, putting the phone and his glasses down and snuggling back down with her. "I have to say, Gabriel's idea was good. He's gotten a lot better with Adrien's birthday presents."

.

.

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* * *

 _ **You know that Gabriel did a fist pump or happy dance or something as soon as he left the room, then quickly composed himself in case anyone happened to see.**_

 _ **And that's all for this one guys! Thanks for reading!**_

 _ **I have many more fics to come. The last chapter of 'Class Akuma Conspiracy' should be up soon. And I have six other ML fics in the works.**_


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